Cherinet Hariffo

Today march 7th 2025, as I present my credentials as first ever and the youngest permanent observer of IGAD Secretariat at the United Nations, I am reminded of the journey that brought me here. From being displaced as a child to standing among senior diplomats, this is not what I could have imagined seven years ago as a refugee. But here we are. Especial thank you to He: my mentor @DrWorkneh Gebeyehu for giving me the opportunity to shine And be of service to the people of my region and my organization. #DiscoverIGAD, #Regionalpeace #Multilateralism @DrWorkneh @IGADsecretariat @MAWareSO @IGAD_CPAC @UN @UNmigration @Refugees @SandokanDebebe @AbiyAhmedAli @TakeleUma

@FabiusMulongo @Abigael_kabugho 🥰

Three months today, my little baby. 💕 Distance may separate us for now, but not a day passes without me thinking about you. Daddy loves you and looks forward to our next cuddle. 😌🌸✨ I can’t wait to board that plane and hold you again. ❤️

@JoshuaTabah @ODG_UNON @CanHCKenya @ConilleGarry @UnKenya Well said Ambassador 👏🏿👏🏿

👏🇺🇳👏🇰🇪 The UN’s relevance is increasingly dependent on delivering real impact for communities. Bringing UN activity closer to where it is needed is important; away from endless debates in northern conferences to action in and for 🌍.  This groundbreaking is progress.

Earlier today, I had a constructive and forward-looking engagement with H.E. Dr. Abdulaziz Mohamed Alwasil, PR of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦, where we discussed the evolving relationship between #IGAD and #saudiarabia, as well as our shared priorities within the United Nations system. Our conversation focused on strengthening our core partnership and exploring opportunities for deeper collaboration across key areas, including peace and security, regional stability, and ongoing efforts related to Sudan. This dialogue comes at a time when the Horn of Africa faces complex and interconnected challenges, making coordinated international partnerships more important than ever. We also reflected on the many avenues through which IGAD and Saudi Arabia can work together to promote sustainable development, humanitarian support, and conflict resolution across the region. This engagement marks an important step in reinforcing mutual understanding and advancing a collaborative agenda aimed at fostering peace, stability, and prosperity.

It was a pleasure to welcome my big brother, H.E. Ambassador @adoniaayebare, Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (@UgandaUN) and our gracious host. A steadfast supporter of IGAD initiatives in New York and Convener of the IGAD Group of Ambassadors, his unwavering commitment to the region is truly admirable. We discussed how we can move the IGAD agenda as the owners of IGAD and to ensure IGAD lives up to its mission.

On the sideline of the #Berlin climate and Security Conference, IGAD was pleased to co-sponsor this important discussion together with #Austria, #Denmark, the #AfricanUnion, #Slovenia, #Mozambique, and the UN Climate Security Mechanism. The event highlighted African regional perspectives on the climate, peace and security nexus and the need for stronger cooperation. For IGAD, this is a lived reality in the Horn of Africa, where drought, floods, displacement, and pressure on livelihoods are increasingly linked to fragility and instability. Through regional cooperation, early warning, and cross-border approaches, IGAD continues to advance practical, African-led responses to these shared challenges. @IGAD_CPAC @IGAD_CPALD @IGADsecretariat @DrWorkneh

My speech on Reimagining Mediation at the first IGAD Mediation Reflection Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.

Our region is at a crossroad and the time for coordinated approach is now and here.

@NatyYifru Welcome back to your homeland 👏🏿👏🏿

Home sweet home.. #AddisAbaba #Ethiopia 🇪🇹🇪🇹🇪🇹🇪🇹

It was great to have had the honor to meet with H.E @EUAmbUN to discuss and engage on important issues and thank your Amb for your support.

In Africa, border regions are too often where poverty, fragility, and neglect converge, while in more developed parts of the world, borders are where connectivity, growth, and opportunity thrive. This must concern us. At the 28th Horn of Africa Initiative meeting on prioritising corridors to enhance trade and connectivity, I reiterated that borderlands must be placed at the centre of sustainable development in our region. Corridors must not only move goods. They must also create opportunity for the communities that live along them.

@dhoorebbc Congratulations my brother long over due and well deserved!

The Somali Cabinet approved the appointment of @NuursViews as Ambassador on Monday. He is an experienced diplomat who has worked with #IGAD, the #AU, and other international organizations.

#Africa, comprising over 1.4 billion people and 54 sovereign states, remains systematically excluded from permanent representation on the United Nations Security Council, the apex organ of global peace and security governance. This exclusion is not incidental; it reflects a deeply entrenched structural inequity within the post-1945 international order. Such institutionalized marginalization constitutes a normative contradiction to the principles of sovereign equality, distributive justice, and inclusive multilateralism. The continued absence of Africa fundamentally erodes the Council’s legitimacy, representativeness, and epistemic credibility. Redressing this imbalance is not aspirational, it is a categorical imperative for the decolonization of global governance and the realization of an equitable international system. #africa #Security #Peace #UN

IGAD Calls for Equity in Global Governance at UNGA On behalf of the Executive Secretary, H.E. @DrWorkneh , the @IGAD_Missions Permanent Representative to the UN, Mr @cherinet_, delivered a statement at the United Nations General Assembly marking the 60th anniversary of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. He noted that racism persists not only in societies but also within global governance systems, pointing to Africa’s continued exclusion from permanent representation on the United Nations Security Council. He reaffirmed IGAD’s commitment to justice, dignity, and inclusive multilateralism, calling for reforms to ensure fair representation and sovereign equality. #RisingWithIGAD #OneRegionOneFuture

It was an honor to welcome my brother @felipepaullier Assistant Secretary for Youth affairs at the IGAD Mission New York. @IGADsecretariat under the leadership of our Executive Secretary @DrWorkneh has prioritized Youth agenda at the top of its mandate. We are committed to working with the UN youth office on issues of youth. @DrWorkneh @IGADsecretariat @IGADLeadership @IGADPeace @IGAD_Missions @IGAD_Spokes @AbiyAhmedAli @GHessebon @BerhanuTsegaye @ymahmoudali

Last week, ASG @FelipePaullier met with H.E. Cherinet Alem Hariffo, Permanent Observer of IGAD to the UN, to discuss shared priorities on Youth, Peace and Security, youth participation, mental health and regional cooperation.

IGAD Permanent Observer to the UN Meets UN Youth Affairs Chief The Permanent Representative of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to the United Nations, Cherinet Hariffo, met with Felipe Paullier, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, at the IGAD Permanent Observer Mission in New York. Their discussions focused on advancing youth engagement, leadership, and opportunities across the Horn of Africa, including strengthening collaboration between IGAD and the United Nations Youth Office to expand youth participation in governance, peacebuilding, and sustainable development initiatives across the region.

Although this isn’t the best news: No Ethiopian-born person should ever pay an overstay fee, because in the end, there is no such thing as ‘overstaying’ in your own country. Many Ethiopians acquired foreign nationality only because Ethiopia doesn’t allow dual citizenship. If the country forced people to choose just one nationality in pursuit of better opportunities (‘greener pastures’), then treating them as pure foreigners upon return, and fining them for overstaying, feels fundamentally unfair. Ethiopia should recognize its diaspora more generously: no fees for those born Ethiopian returning home.

አስቸኳይ ማስታወቂያ!! የአሜሪካ ዜግነት ለአላችሁ ትውልደ ኢትዮጵያዊያን በሙሉ URGENT NOTICE!! To All Ethiopian-Origin U.S. Citizens. የኢሚግሬሽንና ዜግነት አገልግሎት ሁሉም የሚታወቅባት ኢትዮጵያ ! ———————— ለበለጠ መረጃ የማህበራዊ ሚዲያ ድህረ -ገፆችንን ይጎብኙ ይወዳጁን ...... Telegram: t.me/ICS_Ethiopia Facebook: facebook.com/ICSEthiopia Twitter: x.com/ics_ethiopia TikTok: @ics_ethiopia" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">tiktok.com/@ics_ethiopia LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/icseth… YouTube: @Ics_Ethiopia" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">youtube.com/@Ics_Ethiopia Instagram: instagram.com/icsethiopia/

At the Permanent Mission of IGAD to the United Nations, I received @Haavisto Pekka Haavisto, the newly appointed Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General António Guterres on Sudan and former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, for a substantive exchange on the evolving situation in #Sudan and its broader regional implications. Our discussion focused on the current political and humanitarian developments in Sudan and the wider implications for the Horn of Africa. As a regional organization deeply engaged in advancing dialogue, mediation, and stability across the region, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) remains committed to working closely with the United Nations and international partners in supporting coordinated diplomatic efforts toward a peaceful and inclusive resolution to the crisis. We also exchanged views on the importance of strengthened cooperation between regional organizations and the United Nations to ensure that mediation efforts remain complementary and responsive to the realities on the ground. I reaffirmed IGAD’s readiness to continue working closely with the Office of the Personal Envoy in advancing dialogue and supporting peace and stability in Sudan and the wider region.

It was great to welcome H.E @felipepaullier to our office in New York!